Tom Stamsnijder looking forward to opportunities with 1t4i team in 2012

After announcing the signature of Dominic Klemme last week, the Project 1t4i team (formerly Skil-Shimano) has confirmed that another Leopard Trek rider will come on board for 2012. The Dutch squad has agreed terms with Tom Stamsnijder, who will be the seventh new rider for next season.

The 26 year old turned pro with the Gerolsteiner team in 2007, one year after winning a stage of the Settimana Lombarda and GP Tell for the Rabobank Continental team. He spent two years as part of the German setup, then the same length of time with Rabobank’s ProTour squad.

In that time he has clocked up results such as second on a stage of the Vuelta a España, third overall in the Tour of Denmark and thirteenth overall in the Tour of Britain. He’s also done a lot of work for his team-mates, filling that role this season with the Leopard Trek squad.

The 1t4i squad believes that the son of the past cyclo-cross world champion, Hennie Stamsnijder, is a versatile addition to the lineup. “Stamsnijder is an all-round rider who is well capable of riding the Flemish classics, time trials and prologues and could become an excellent link in the sprint train of Project 1t4i,” it said.

The 26 year old recognises that he could have greater opportunity with the Dutch team, having given up a lot of opportunities to help others. He’ll continue to do that in 2012, of course, but the structure of the squad should mean that he too has chances. “I’ve ridden for Gerolsteiner, Rabobank and Leopard-Trek where I’ve gained a lot of experience,” he said. “Now I’m looking forward with ambition to this new step in my career.

“Project 1t4i is a very ambitious team that has a great future ahead. I’m happy to contribute to their future and I think I can really develop myself as a cyclist with thorough support from the team.”

The squad had a successful season, with Marcel Kittel standing out in his first pro year. He clocked up seventeen wins in all, shattering the previous debut-season records for sprinters, with a stage of the Vuelta a España being one of those.

Kittel will remain part of the team in 2012, and several other strong riders are coming on board. These include his Leopard-Trek team-mate Klemme, plus HTC Highroad riders John Degenkolb and Patrick Gretsch.

Team management is hoping to secure a UCI ProTeam licence for next season.